Wheel of the Year

 Calendar and Major Festivals 

The original Madrian calendar was based on a lunar calendar, with each month being 28 days of thirteen months, plus 1-2 intercalary days. The year starts on March 21st, with the first great festival. They had their own names for each month therein.

Starting with the original Madrian monthly names, and seeing what other groups have gradually changed, I've worked to see what the vision may have originally been, and what was overall intended, and how others have made adjustments. Language was very important to all Madrian groups and I wanted to be mindful of that myself.

Starting from the beginning of the year, we have:

1. Columbina (March 21 - April 17) - Named for the Dove, an oft used term the Daughter Anna.
2. Maia (April 18 - May 15) - Named for the Genia Madria Maia, who is seen as the first part of the Madria Wyrd trinity, the spinner. Notably, in Roman mythology Maia was seen as a concept of growth.
3. Hera (May 16 - June 12) - Most likely named for both the goddess Hera, and for the term meaning saints within Madrianism, heras (singular hera).
4. Rosea (June 13 - July 10) - Named for the Rose, as this month contains the high festival of Rosa Mundi, also an epithet of Mari.
5. Kerea (July 11 - August 7) - Named for the goddess Ceres.
6. Hesperis (August 8 - September 4) - Named for the Hesperides, most likely, and to denote the dwindling of summer as the Evening Star (the Hesperides being nymphs of the evening and golden light).
7. Abolan (September 5 - October 2) - A coined term that is meant to recall Avalon, or land of apples. Original Madrian calendar noted this as Mala.
8. Pleiade (October 3 - October 20) - Original Madrian calendar had this as Hathor, and Filianic calendar has it as Vois, Janites denoted it as Ourania. Working with this, it seems it was intended to point out the celestial Mother; since the Pleiades are known at this time of year (as it is the start of a rainy season and ending of sailing season) to be apparent in the sky, and it ties the mythic number of seven and the celestial heaven. I've chosen to name it Pleiade. Of note, there's the variant myth by Callimachus where the seven daughters are the daughters of an Amazonian queen.
9. Mala (October 31 - November 27) - Original Madrian calendar had this as Samhain, Filianic calendar has it as Werdë. From what I could find, there is Mala Laith who, from my studying, is a version of the Cailleach. I found this more fitting to this portion of the year.
10. Astraea (November 28 - December 31) - Named for the goddess of hope whose name means 'Star Maiden'. Noted that the constellation Virgo is seen as her being in the sky after leaving the end of the golden age on earth. Also in regards to Madria Ouranya.
    
11. Hestia (January 1 - January 22) - Named for the goddess of the hearth and home, who is also seen as a Genia in Madrianism, Madria Hestia or alternately, Madria Herthe.
12. Brighe (January 23 - February 19) - Named after the Genia Madria Brighe, who is seen as the the patroness of bridges (especially spiritual bridges) and liminal spaces. Derived from the goddess Brigdhe.
13. Moura (February 20 - March 19/March 18 on leap years) - Derived from 'moira', which meant 'destiny, fate'. This is the month where Anna descends to bring light to all places.

A calendar should be helping you to better understand flow of the wheel of the year, and lend to your understanding of the mysteries of the season. This calendar is a shift for myself too, but one that I hope builds confidence as I work through the next year and festivals.

Let's look at the festivals next. Generally, they mirror the original Madrian observed festivals; while a handful were moveable dates (e.g., Rosa Mundi, Nativity), this creates some difficulty in shorter celebration times and/or multiple events occurring on the same day. I've always chosen to do fixed dates for these, Rosa Mundi occurring in conjunction with the summer solstice, and Nativity occurring on the winter solstice. I've not included the days celebrating the apparitions of Mary that Madria Olga observed; these seem to be a personal practice of hers.

Columbina 

• Eastre/Resurrection or Regeneration of the Divine Dove - 1 Columbina - Resurrection of Anna. 

Maia

• Day of Madria Maia - 1 Maia - celebration of Spring, spinning aspect of Madria Wyrd, spinner of the tapestry of life

• Exaltation of the Queen of Heaven - 14 Maia - return of Anna to Heaven, becoming fully Mari once again.

Hera

• Florimaia, or Day of Anthea - 10 Hera - Celebration of flowers, the patroness of flowers, and budding life.

Rosea

• Day of all Helati/Heras - 1 Rosea - Celebration of heras/saints of our faith and the world

• Rosa Mundi -  9 Rosea - High festival of Mari, as Rose of the World. First of the three great Mother festivals.

Kerea

• Golden Festival/Feast of Regeneration - 22 Kerea - Rebirth and regeneration, as Mari sees over us through the wheel of wyrd. I've also personally referred to it is Aurea Mater, or Golden Mother.

Hesperis

• Day of Madria Wyrd - 16 Hesperis - Day for the Genia of Fate, and rumination on one’s life path and their own turning of their wheel of wyrd.

Abolan

• Feast of Divine Life - 17 Abolan - One of the Mother festivals with a focus on Mari Mysteria, Mysteria as the Sickle that cuts the grain that sustains us and also what will cut us in the end of time. I've also personally referred to it as Divina Vita, Divine Life.

Pleiade

• No marked festivals, but known as the Rosary month.

Mala

• Samhain/Feast of the Dead - 1-3 Mala - Three day festival honoring departed souls, ancestors, and Mysteria.

• Day of Artemis - 23 Mala - Day of venerating Artemis, seen as protectress over Ekklesia(the faithful adherents to Madrianism/Filianism).

Astraea

• Start of Advent - 1 Astraea - Observance of Advent, the weeks building up to the birth of the Daughter, Anna.

• Day of Athene - 7 Astraea - Day venerating Madria Athene, seen as a Genia of reason and intelligence.

• Nativity/Filiadi - 24 Astraea - The birth of the Daughter, Anna. Celebration of 12 days in total, can also be called the Filiadies. (Usually a moveable date or fixed on 28 Astraea - moved to winter solstice).

• Duodecima - 12th day after Nativity/Filiadi - Stars are put away, but greenery is left up. Last burst of the Nativity/Filiadi season, with music and feasting.

• Geniad - 28 Astraea - Celebrating all of the Geniae of the faith.

Hestia

• Day of Madria Herthe - 6 Hestia - celebrating the Genia of the hearth and home; blessing the home is common.

Brighe

• Purple Monday - First Monday of Brighe - all decorations for Filadies are put away by today, and rituals of purification are started for Luciad.

• Luciad/Festival of Lights - 10 Brighe - Commemorates Anna’s promise to bring Light to all dark places.

• Moura Eve - 28 Brighe - Day before the start of Moura; generally a feast is held as Moura is a period of fasting and penance, much like Lent.

Moura

• Moura Day - 1 Moura - Seen as a day of fasting and repentance.

• Med Moura - 14 Moura - Midway point, and fasting and penances are paused, and a smaller feast celebrated.

  Kala - 28 Moura - Passion of The Daughter, the final day of the year. A time of prayer and of fasting. Kala has been used by some, for the third Genia of the the Madria Wyrd trinity, the cutter.

  
  

Hiatus

• Day(s) out of time, when the Daughter Anna lies fallen. Altar images are shrouded, little should be done today. Occurs 'out of time', and are considered intercalary days (days noted because on leap years, one extra day is added to account for this).

  
  

  This begins the start of the rhythm of the year and shows the framework I have created for myself.

  Future posts and possibly static pages will be forthcoming as we work through the next year.

  
  

  Visual representations of the months and the great festivals below: